Robert (Bob) Gravani
Treasurer 2014-2015

Robert B. Gravani is a Professor of Food Science and Director of the National Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Program at Cornell University where he is actively engaged in Extension/Outreach, Teaching and Research activities. He received his BS degree in Food Science from Rutgers University and his MS and PhD degrees from Cornell University. During his career, he has also served as Science Director of the Cereal Institute, Inc. and as Assistant Director of the Institute of Food Science and Marketing at Cornell University.

Dr. Gravani works with all sectors of the food system and has developed innovative programs for constituents in production agriculture, food processing, food retailing, and food service, as well as for regulatory agencies and consumers. He has published many scientific and popular articles, and developed numerous education programs for constituents.

Dr. Gravani is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists, served on the Executive Committee, chaired a number of IFT committees and the Extension/Outreach Division. He was the 2009 recipient of the IFT’s Carl R. Fellers Award. He received the Cornell Institute of Food Science Teaching Excellence Award in 1994 and 2007 and was the 1995 recipient of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Educator Award. He is a past president of the association and an IAFP Fellow.

He served seven years as a member of the National Advisory Committee of Microbiological Criteria for Foods and also served on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) committee on Review of Scientific Criteria and Performance Standards for Safe Foods and chaired the NAS subcommittee on Seafood, Produce, and Dairy Products. He is an active member of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense at the University of Minnesota, where he serves on the Risk Communication team.

Bob is married to Eileen, a speech pathologist, who is currently associate Dean of the School of Professional Studies at the State University of New York at Cortland, and has two children, Kristen and Steven. Kristen recently graduated from Cornell in Nutritional Sciences and will be attending graduate school in the fall. She is currently interning at a company that trains professional athletes. Steven is a Cornell freshman who is in the undergraduate business program. Bob enjoys the outdoors and keeping fit by jogging, bicycling, kayaking and sailing when the weather is warm and in winter participates in downhill and cross country skiing and ice skating.